Pak army warns Taliban, asks them to pull out of Buner
Action follows US pressure
With army delivering a stern warning of possible resumption of operation amid alarming spurt in militancy in Swat and adjacent districts, the Taliban on Friday announced they are withdrawing armed men from Buner and Chinglai areas they had seized this week.

PULLING OUT: Pakistani Taliban fighters gesture towards the camera before leaving Buner, about 100 km from Islamabad, on Friday. — Reuters photo

If Kashmir blows up, all bets off: US
Warning that if Kashmir “blows up” then “all bets are off,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the US is encouraging Pakistan to mend relations with India so that it can focus on the terrorists that threaten Pakistan.

Editorial: Pakistan worries US

NSA, Menon meet Rajapaksa
Convey India’s concern to Lanka
New Delhi, April 24
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s special emissaries, National Security Adviser MK Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, returned here this evening from Colombo after conveying to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa New Delhi’s concern about the humanitarian crisis arising from the ongoing conflict in the island nation.

‘Prabhakaran may escape via sea’
Troops confine LTTE to 10 sq km land

Karat’s carrot to Cong
You can be outside govt; not inside it
New Delhi, April 24
Refreshed with generous praises from Congress’ old and new allies, the Left today said it was determined to form a non-Congress secular government at the Centre, but would not mind accepting the former ally’s outside support.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat gestures as he speaks to the media in New Delhi. — A Tribune photograph

Nation page: No Left support to form govt: Pranab

PM slams BJP for ‘politics of hatred’
Kanpur, April 24
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today launched a twin attack at the BJP for talking big about its “nirnayak sarkar” (decisive leadership) and the state’s BSP government for not letting the benefits of central schemes reach the people.

US proposes tough rules for Cos hiring H-IB workers
Washington, April 24
Setting tough conditions for US firms hiring overseas professionals, a bill has been introduced in the Senate on reforming the H-1B and L1 visa programmes under which local qualified workers are needed to be given a chance first, a move that could dampen hopes of aspiring Indians.

Furnace oil spills into Sutlej Ropar, April 24 Tonnes of heavy density furnace oil spilt today when the pipe carrying the same burst in unit III of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Power Plant, Ropar. The spillage further entered the nearby Sutlej and the Ropar international wetland. The black hue of the Sutlej waters due to heavy density oil spill from the Ropar Thermal Power Plant.